Method and apparatus for forming a band of tobacco



Nov. 14, 1967 AKE N. LINDGREN 3,352,308

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A BAND OF TOBACCO 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1965 \W W J Y m Fig.2

Nov. 14, 196 7 METHOD AND Filed Feb. 8, 1965 AKE N. LINDGREN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A BAND OF TOBACCO 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 t 1 L L 3 13 18a 18b /170 8b 6Q90 30 A (9b Fig. 4

18b 7 17b @9 A170 8b Fig.5

i mw fil /w United States Patent 3 352,398 METHOD AND APFARATUS FOR FORMING A BAND 0F TOBACCO Aka N. Lindgren, Valiingby, Sweden, assignor to Arenco Aktiebolag, Vallingby, Sweden Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 431,052 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 27, 1964, 2,391/ 64 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-20) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for producing a band of to bacco consisting of natural tobacco leaves or parts of leaves which are pasted together in a row with a certain overlap on the top face of a conveying belt. The conveying belt extends from a first reel to a second reel and the band of tobacco is produced on the upper surface of the conveying belt during the reeling thereof. When the band of tobacco and the conveying belt has been reeled on the first reel the. direction of movement of the belt is reversed and then the band of tobacco is Wound upon a third reel and the top surface of the conveying belt is used for forming a second hand of tobacco. A third reel is provided for reeling the formed band of tobacco.

This invention relates to a method of and a device for producing a tobacco band, consisting of natural tobacco leaves or parts of leaves, which are pasted together in a row with a certain overlap, which pasting is performed on a conveying belt.

It is an old idea to put together tobacco leaves of any form to provide a band, from which leaves of a required shape are cut for the subsequent production of tobbacco ware. There are, in fact, constructions and devices representing a plurality of solutions and methods for such treatment of tobacco leaves. The reason it is considered suitable to put the tobacco leaves together into the shape of a band is primarily that the feeding of the tobacco to automatic machines for production of finished tobacco ware can be effected continuously, almost wholly without attendance. Another advantage is that tobacco in the form of a tobacco band can be stored in a simpler and for the tobacco more suitable way than pure, natural tobacco leaves. Thus it is known to produce a material from tobacco as a natural product which is more advantageous in respect of workability than natural tobacco leaves. From prior known devices and methods a number of examples could certainly be described, but for convenience only one device is referred to which is described in the German Patent No. 404,337. It shows a device, which permits storing of cut out wrappers or binders ina store and has the character of a strip or the like, reeled up in a drum and supporting the leaves, inserted one after another in the winding. Thus the leaf store besides the tobacco leaves consists of a strip or the like necessary for the reeling.

According to the present invention, tobacco leaves or parts of leaves are to be pasted together at abutting edges for obtaining a band. The pasting takes place on a conveying belt, being finite and reeled up in a rotating reel as it is reeled off a second reel the band of tobacco thereby accompanying the conveying belt during the reeling thereof. After the conveying belt has been reeled up, another reeling of the conveying belt with the band of tobacco is performed, now in the opposite direction and in such a way that the band of tobacco is reeled off the reel simultaneously with the conveying belt and reeled up in a third reel, simultaneously as another band of tobacco is finished on the top face of the conveying belt.

Essential advances have been made by the method of producing a tobacco band presented by this invention.

The product obtained has a wholly continuous form as is the case with reconstituted tobacco while still retaining other natural tobacco qualities in respect of veining, thickness and appearance. The method involves only simple and relatively uncomplicated working moments, well suited for automization. Owing to the tobacco band being self-sustaining after the paste lines have dried, the tobacco band can be more easily reeled off the store reel than in the case of, for example, the device described in the above-mentioned patent, and a conveying belt to store and feed the tobacco band becomes unnecessary. As mentioned, the paste lines must be allowed to dry before the tobacco band can be handled individually. Owing to the tobacco band being reeled together with a conveying belt after pasting the drying can proceed in a relatively tensionless condition, 'by which the risk of breaking the tobacco band is eliminated.

As stated above the method of this invention offers some possibilities of mechanising the production. However, in order to facilitate the disclosure of the invention, it will be presumed that the method is manually practised by means of a band pasting device, described later on. This does, of course, not exclude a more rational practising of the invention in industrial working.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a stripped tobacco leaf.

FIGURE 2 shows two half leaves, cut to trapezoidal shape.

FIGURE 3 showns how two trapezoidal leaves can be joined to form a band of uniform width,

FIGURE 4 shows an elevational view of a band pasting device, which is used for practising the invention,

FIGURE 5 shows the band pasting device in a different working condition fro-m that shown in FIGURE 4.

Before the tobacco leaves can be pasted together to form a band of uniform width, they must be cut to a suitable shape for pasting. FIGURE 1 shows a tobacco leaf, having passed through the stripping. The half leaves 1 and 2 are then cut to trapezoidal shape, as shown at 3 and 4 in FIGURE 2. By a parallel and then a lateral dis placement of, for example, the half leaf 3, the parallel sides of the half leaf 3 are brought in line with the parallel sides of the half leaf 4 with the provision of a certain overlap 5 in the joint between the half leaves, a piece of a tobacco band of uniform width is formed as shown'in FIGURE 3. More half leaves can then be added to this piece of tobacco band and thus the band can be made as long as required.

Pasting of the leaves is effected in the joint between different half .leaves, and for this purpose some generally known and suitable paste for pasting tobacco is used, for example, a cellulose derivative.

The cut out half leaves 3 and 4 are placed one after another on a conveying belt 6 after the non-parallel sides of the half leaves have been provided with a film of paste on that surface which faces the adjacent leaf in the overlap 5. Possibly only one of the side edges may be provided with paste, and the corresponding side edge of the adjacent leaf may be left dry. The conveying belt 6 is finite and is arranged as shown in FIGURE 4, when the pasting of the tobacco band begins. Thus the conveying belt extends from a reel 7 via backing rollers 81), 9b and 10, up over a suction box 11 connected by a tube'12 to an air pump (not shown) which brings about a partial vacuum in the suction box. The conveying belt then extends via a backing roller 13 to a reel 14.

The half leaves are laid on the conveying belt above the suction box and owing to the conveying belt being perforated the leaves will be sucked tight towards this belt andfixed in a determined position on the belt, while they are pasted. The half leaves could be laid either manually on the conveying belt or by means of an automatic leaf delivery device provided with an arrangement for applying paste n the leaf-edge. While the pasting of the tobacco band is going on, the belt is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 4 in consequence of the rotation of the reels 7 and 14.

The reels can be driven by motors 16a, 16b and driving belts 17a, 17b to pulleys, secured to the reels, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. In the device arranged as shown in FIGURE 4, the motor 16a is driving, while the motor 16b is inactive. The driving of the conveying belt must be effected in steps so that the belt is at rest when the half leaves being laid on it, and therefore the motors are excited one at a time, at predetermined intervals by any suitable arrangement (not shown), for example, position determining switches, driven by the conveying belt. When the conveying belt and the tobacco band are reeled up, the pasting isdiscontinued, and the end of the tobacco band is detached from the conveying belt and fastened to a third reel 15. Another reeling of the conveying belt is performed in the opposite direction to the arrow, shown in FIGURE 4. The band pasting device is then arranged as shown in FIGURE 5, and therefore the following changesare performed. The motor 16b is switched on and takes over the driving of the device, While the motor 16a is switched off. The conveying belt is laid around the backing rollers18a, 9a and 13 over the suction box 11 and the roller 10 to the reel 7. When the conveying belt passes the suction box 11 on the Way back, another tobacco band is finished and reeled up together with the conveying belt in the reel. 7. While onetobacco band is reeled ofi the reel 14 and another tobacco band is reeled up in thereel 7, the first one of these bands is reeled up in the reel 15, driven by the arrangement shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, sothat the conveying belt in contact with the tobacco band in the reel 15 drives thisreel, by which the correct speed of reeling is obtained. This is achieved by fitting the rollers 8a and 8b on the free endsof rocking arms 18a, 18b, respectively, journalled in the shafts of the reels 14, and 7. The rollers are pressed to the tobacco band in the reel 15, by springs 19a, 19b, tensioned between the arms 18a,.18b, respectively and fixed points in the device. When the conveying belt has been reeled again, the device is changedagain to the arrangement shown in FIGURE 4, and reeling the tobacco band off the reel 7 and reeling up another band in the reel 14 are performed. Thus theproduction of tobacco bands. is continuous with the exception of the time re quired for changing the device.

In the foregoing description it has been assumed'that the half leaves have been cut to trapezoidal shape, since it appears that the utilization of the tobacco leaves'is good, if the half leaves are cut to this shape. However, other shapes of the half 1eaves,,for example, parallelograms, can also be used for production of the tobacco band. Also uncut half leaves or half leaves only cut to constant breadth can be used, whereby the waste is very little but the overlap rather big, especially when using leaves of substantially different sizes. Owing to the half leaves being pressed rather tightly after pasting between the different layers of. the winding, the paste lines are almost unnoticeable even if uncuthalf leaves are used. Hence, the shape of the half leaves is not of great importance in the practice of the invention.

The device can also bevaried without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the third reel 15 may be omitted, if the tobacco band is to be used directly for production of tobacco ware. The suction box 11 can be substituted by other means to keep the half leaves to the conveying belt, while they are pasted, for example, a roll or a band acting on the top face of the conveying belt.

What is claimedis:

1. A method of producing a band of tobacco consisting of natural tobacco leaves or parts of leaves, which are pasted together in a row with a certain overlap on the top face of a conveying belt comprising reeling a finite conveying belt on a first rotating reel as it is simultaneously reeled off a second reel, placing a band of tobacco on said conveying belt during the reeling thereof, then, when said conveying belt is-completely reeled up, reeling said conveying belt in the opposite direction and removing said band of tobacco from said belt as it is unreeled from said first reel and placing another band of tobacco on said conveying belt as it moves in said opposite di rection.

2. A device for producing a band of tobacco from tobacco leaves or parts of leaves pasted together in a row, comprising a first reel, a second reel spaced from said first reel, means for driving said reels alternately, a finite conveying belt extending between said reels adapted to be reeled from one to the other of said reels, said belt forming a supporting surface for pasting together said tobacco leaves, and a third reel rotated by said driving means for winding up the formed band of tobacco as it is reeled off one of said first named two reels.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said driving means comprises a backing roller pressing said conveying belt against the surface of the band of tobacco reeled up on saidthird reel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 121,683 12/1871 Storm 131-148 644,677 3/1900 Maxfield et a1 131-20 FOREIGN PATENTS 282,364 3/ 1928 Great Britain.

HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF PRODUCING A BAND OF TABACCO CONSISTING OF NATURAL TOBACCO LEAVES OR PARTS OF LEAVES, WHICH ARE PASTED TOGETHER IN A ROW WITH A CERTAIN OVERLAP ON THE TOP FACE OF A CONVEYING BELT COMPRISING REELING A FINITE CONVEYING BELT ON FIRST ROTATING REEL AS IT IS SIMULTANEOUSLY REELED OFF A SECOND REEL, PLACING A BAND OF TOBACCO ON SAID CONVEYING BELT DURING THE REELING THEREOF, THEN WHEN SAID CONVEYING BELT IS COMPLETELY REELED UP, REELING SAID CONVEYING BELT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND REMOVING SAID BAND OF TOBACCO FROM SAID BELT AS IT IS UNREELED FROM SAID FIRST REEL AND PLACING ANOTHER BAND OF TOBACCO ON SAID CONVEYING BELT AS IT MOVES IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION, 